St. Clair Advisors LLC Trims Position in Apple Inc. $AAPL

St. Clair Advisors LLC reduced its stake in Apple Inc. (NASDAQ:AAPL) by 4.9% during the second quarter, according to its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC). The firm owned 77,771 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock after selling 4,025 shares during the period. Apple comprises 5.8% of St. Clair Advisors LLC’s investment portfolio, making the stock its 3rd largest position. St. Clair Advisors LLC’s holdings in Apple were worth $22,504,000 as of its most recent filing with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC).

A number of other institutional investors have also recently made changes to their positions in AAPL. Evansbrook LLC grew its holdings in Apple by 0.4% in the 1st quarter. Evansbrook LLC now owns 8,095 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,054,000 after acquiring an additional 34 shares during the last quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.7% during the first quarter. JMG Financial Group Ltd. now owns 5,102 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $1,295,000 after purchasing an additional 35 shares during the period. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. boosted its holdings in shares of Apple by 0.4% during the third quarter. Reyes Financial Architecture Inc. now owns 9,898 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $2,520,000 after purchasing an additional 37 shares during the period. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. grew its stake in shares of Apple by 4.0% in the fourth quarter. Interactive Financial Advisors Inc. now owns 1,051 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $286,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Finally, Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC grew its stake in shares of Apple by 2.0% in the first quarter. Sugar Maple Asset Management LLC now owns 2,029 shares of the iPhone maker’s stock worth $515,000 after purchasing an additional 40 shares during the last quarter. Hedge funds and other institutional investors own 67.73% of the company’s stock.

Insider Transactions at Apple

In other news, SVP Jennifer Newstead sold 1,439 shares of the business’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, August 11th. The stock was sold at an average price of $307.75, for a total value of $442,852.25. Following the sale, the senior vice president directly owned 40,107 shares of the company’s stock, valued at $12,342,929.25. The trade was a 3.46% decrease in their position. The sale was disclosed in a document filed with the SEC, which is available through the SEC website. Also, insider Ben Borders sold 116 shares of the company’s stock in a transaction that occurred on Tuesday, June 16th. The stock was sold at an average price of $295.14, for a total value of $34,236.24. Following the completion of the sale, the insider owned 38,713 shares in the company, valued at $11,425,754.82. The trade was a 0.30% decrease in their position. Additional details regarding this sale are available in the official SEC disclosure. The sale was made to cover tax withholding obligations related to the vesting of equity awards. 0.06% of the stock is currently owned by corporate insiders.

Apple Trading Up 1.5%

NASDAQ AAPL opened at $310.03 on Wednesday. The firm has a market capitalization of $4.52 trillion, a PE ratio of 35.55, a P/E/G ratio of 2.62 and a beta of 1.09. The stock’s 50 day moving average is $309.45 and its 200 day moving average is $286.11. Apple Inc. has a twelve month low of $223.78 and a twelve month high of $344.57. The company has a quick ratio of 0.93, a current ratio of 1.00 and a debt-to-equity ratio of 0.66.

Apple (NASDAQ:AAPL) last posted its quarterly earnings data on Thursday, July 30th. The iPhone maker reported $2.02 earnings per share (EPS) for the quarter, topping analysts’ consensus estimates of $1.89 by $0.13. Apple had a return on equity of 135.46% and a net margin of 27.62%.The business had revenue of $109.42 billion during the quarter, compared to the consensus estimate of $109.04 billion. During the same quarter in the prior year, the company earned $1.57 earnings per share. The firm’s quarterly revenue was up 16.4% compared to the same quarter last year. Research analysts forecast that Apple Inc. will post 8.76 earnings per share for the current fiscal year.

Apple Dividend Announcement

The firm also recently disclosed a quarterly dividend, which was paid on Thursday, August 13th. Shareholders of record on Monday, August 10th were issued a $0.27 dividend. This represents a $1.08 dividend on an annualized basis and a yield of 0.3%. The ex-dividend date was Monday, August 10th. Apple’s dividend payout ratio is 12.39%.

Key Headlines Impacting Apple

Here are the key news stories impacting Apple this week:

• Positive Sentiment: Apple will replace the European Union’s controversial per-install Core Technology Fee with a simpler 5% commission on digital transactions for apps distributed outside the App Store or through alternative marketplaces. The changes, effective October 1, are intended to resolve disputes related to the EU’s Digital Markets Act and reduce regulatory uncertainty. Apple overhauls Europe app store fees to resolve payments clash
• Positive Sentiment: Apple is also making it easier for developers to operate alternative app stores in Europe. Investors may view the settlement as removing a persistent overhang and avoiding potentially larger penalties or prolonged legal battles. Apple overhauls its EU App Store fees, loosens rules for alternative app stores
• Positive Sentiment: Rothschild & Co. Redburn upgraded Apple from “Hold” or “Neutral” to “Buy” and raised its price target to $400 from $260. The bullish case centers on a potential premium foldable iPhone—modeled at roughly 14 million units priced near $2,199—and a possible improvement in Apple’s artificial-intelligence strategy. Could Apple stock jump 30%? This Nvidia AI bet may hold the key
• Neutral Sentiment: The new EU terms may improve developer relations and compliance, but the lower and broader commission structure could reduce App Store economics over time. Apple has acknowledged that antitrust actions and new rules are beginning to weigh on its approximately $100 billion Services business. Antitrust attacks start to bite into Apple’s Services business
• Negative Sentiment: Appaloosa Management, led by David Tepper, disclosed put positions referencing about 835,000 Apple shares. The position signals caution toward AAPL’s valuation and growth outlook, although it is an individual investor’s trade rather than a fundamental change. Billionaire David Tepper Is Short Apple
• Negative Sentiment: U.S. officials reportedly urged Apple not to purchase memory chips from Chinese suppliers. Complying could raise component costs or constrain sourcing flexibility as AI demand tightens memory supply, creating a potential margin headwind. Market Chatter: Apple May Buy Chinese Memory Chips Despite US Request

Analyst Upgrades and Downgrades

A number of research analysts have commented on AAPL shares. Citigroup reaffirmed a “buy” rating and set a $365.00 price target (up from $315.00) on shares of Apple in a research report on Monday, July 13th. Rosenblatt Securities boosted their target price on Apple from $276.00 to $300.00 and gave the company a “neutral” rating in a research note on Friday, July 31st. Monness Crespi & Hardt upped their target price on Apple from $315.00 to $335.00 and gave the company a “buy” rating in a report on Friday, May 1st. Evercore reaffirmed an “outperform” rating on shares of Apple in a research note on Wednesday, July 8th. Finally, Robert W. Baird lifted their price target on shares of Apple from $310.00 to $330.00 and gave the company an “outperform” rating in a report on Friday, July 24th. One equities research analyst has rated the stock with a Strong Buy rating, twenty-two have given a Buy rating, twelve have given a Hold rating and four have given a Sell rating to the company’s stock. According to data from MarketBeat, Apple presently has a consensus rating of “Moderate Buy” and an average price target of $330.53.

Apple Profile

Apple Inc (NASDAQ: AAPL) is a multinational technology company headquartered in Cupertino, California, founded in 1976 by Steve Jobs, Steve Wozniak and Ronald Wayne. The company designs, develops and sells consumer electronics, software and services. Over its history Apple has evolved from personal computers to a broad portfolio that spans mobile devices, wearables, home entertainment and digital services.

Apple’s principal hardware products include the iPhone smartphone, iPad tablet, Mac personal computers, Apple Watch wearable devices and a range of accessories such as AirPods and HomePod.